US EditionCalifornia sues the Trump administration over plans to restart oil pipelines along the coast
California challenges federal approval of Sable Offshore's pipeline restart, citing environmental risks and state authority violations, with 21,000 gallons spilled in 2015, officials said.
- On Jan. 23, 2026, California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced a suit in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit to block Sable Offshore Corp.’s plan to restart two onshore pipelines running from Santa Barbara County to Kern County.
- A corroded segment in 2015 forced shutdowns that underpin today’s legal fight, after PHMSA reclassified and federalized the lines via the Dec. 17 order and Dec. 22 re-designation.
- PHMSA said it approved the restart citing federal emergency authority, noting it returned jurisdiction based on President Donald Trump’s executive order and Sable Offshore Corp.’s November filings.
- Filed in the Ninth Circuit, the petition asks a court to void PHMSA’s orders, arguing violations of the Administrative Procedure Act as environmental groups are expected to intervene.
- The dispute highlights long-running federal-state clashes as California filed more than 100 lawsuits against the Trump Administration, while PHMSA and the Interior Department push 34 offshore lease sales.
150 Articles
150 Articles
California AG sues Trump administration’s ‘unlawful power grab’ to restart pipelines that caused an oil spill in 2015
California is taking the Trump administration to court, filing a lawsuit over the federal approval to restart two controversial oil pipelines near the state’s sensitive coastline. This development marks a major legal showdown between the administration’s interests in increasing drilling in the Pacific Ocean and the state’s environmental interests. The Hill reported that California Attorney General Rob Bonta is arguing that Trump is illegally try…
California Sues Trump Administration Over Pipeline Approval
YouTube@News Channel 3-12 California is suing the Trump administration after it approved oil pipelines near the state’s coast. The state argues that the administration has “unlawfully given” Sable Offshore Corp. permission to restart the pipelines because “oversight of the pipelines is controlled by California, not the federal government.” Approval for the pipelines come as part of the White House’s broader push to expand offshore drilling, …
California sues Trump administration over approval of oil pipelines near coast
California sued the Trump administration over its approvals for oil pipelines near the state’s coast amid the White House’s broader push for more drilling there. California is arguing that the Trump administration’s moves to restart the pipelines contravene the state’s authority over the vessels. “In its latest unlawful power grab, the Trump Administration is illegally claiming exclusive…
Comments on California’s Lawsuit Against the Trump Administration on an Essential Interstate Pipeline
As reported today, 1/23/26, in Reuters, at a time when refineries are closing, California’s dependency on foreign oil, gasoline, and jet fuel from Iraq, India and China are increasing, California’s State Attorney General Bonta’s and Governor Newsom’s lawsuit against the Trump Administration’s permitting the use of an essential interstate crude oil pipeline is a desperate response to pressure from environmental and special interest groups, as wel…
California sues Trump administration over allegedly 'unlawful' pipeline restart approval years after oil spill
California files its 55th lawsuit against the Trump administration, alleging federal overreach in pipeline restart approval. The state claims jurisdictional violation.
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